Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi quits after 51 years, claims 'humiliation' for backing Shashi Tharoor

Senior Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the party after years of humiliation and joined the BJP.

Updated on: Mar 18, 2026, 20:16:31 IST

By HT News Desk

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Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi on Wednesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming he had faced humiliation within the party after supporting Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, amid a series of high-profile defections ahead of the Assam Assembly elections.

Pradyut Bordoloi, a two-time MP from Assam’s Nagaon constituency, formally joined the BJP in New Delhi. (X/@sansad_tv)

Bordoloi, a two-time MP from Assam’s Nagaon constituency, formally joined the BJP in New Delhi in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP president Dilip Saikia, a day after resigning from the Congress.

Speaking to reporters, Bordoloi said he had been feeling “suffocated and humiliated” within the party for the past two years, adding that his troubles began after he supported Shashi Tharoor within the Congress.

“I have been feeling humiliated. It all started when I supported Dr Shashi Tharoor, then I was shunted out from every forum inside the party,” Bordoloi said.

The senior leader, who had been associated with the Congress since 1975, submitted his resignation to party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday evening. He had also served as chairman of the Congress manifesto committee for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections.

Also read: Senior Assam Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi switches to BJP; Priyanka Gandhi says he was 'upset over ticket'

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said BJP national president Nitin Nabin had approved Bordoloi’s induction into the party.

“Today, sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi has joined the BJP. Our state president Dilip Saikia has welcomed him to the party fold,” Sarma told reporters after the induction ceremony.

Sarma said Bordoloi’s entry would strengthen the BJP in Assam and help advance Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a “Viksit Bharat, Viksit Assam”. He added that the state party leadership would recommend a ticket for Bordoloi in the April 9 Assembly polls.

Also read: Assam polls: Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi joins BJP

A two-term MP and four-time MLA who also served as an Assam cabinet minister, Bordoloi said his decision to quit the Congress was driven by “multiple issues” and persistent humiliation within the party.

“For the last two years, I have been facing humiliation and feeling isolated within the Congress. While joining the BJP, I have made it clear that I will continue to work with my head held high for the sake of the Assamese people,” he said.

Bordoloi also referred to an Assam Congress Central Election Committee meeting where he alleged that party leader Imran Masood dismissed his claims about a candidate’s alleged criminal links as “fabricated”, which he said deeply hurt him.

“The APCC president present there remained silent. This hurt me a lot,” he told reporters.

The development comes weeks after former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah also resigned from the party and joined the BJP in February.

Sarma claimed that more Congress leaders may switch sides in the coming days, asserting that “no individual with self-respect can any longer stay in the Congress”.

Assembly elections for all 126 constituencies in Assam will be held in a single phase on April 9, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The ruling BJP-led NDA will be seeking a third consecutive term, while the Congress is attempting to return to power in the northeastern state.

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